Plenty of houses in Silverthorne still carry their first mortise locks and brass knobs, and they are worth keeping. We service that hardware so it turns freely again, find matching parts where they exist, and only suggest replacement when a piece genuinely cannot be brought back. Character stays; the door locks.
Toronto, Ontario
2021 census · what it means at the door
58%Older homes
About 58% of homes in Toronto were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Where most homes were built decades ago, doors often still carry their original mortise locks and brass knobs. That hardware can usually be cleaned, re-sprung and kept in service, with a modern deadbolt added above it for strength without losing the look.
23%
Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).
In a building, a lockout happens in a hallway rather than a porch, and the neighbours notice. A locksmith confirms you belong to the suite, opens the door with the least fuss the lock allows, and leaves the door and cylinder intact for the night.
Locksmith services
Here is the range of lock work we do for homes and businesses in Silverthorne: opening doors when the key is missing, rekeying and changing locks, fitting deadbolts and high-security cylinders, servicing commercial hardware, opening and resetting safes, and cutting keys, including the occasional vehicle key when a household needs one.
Silverthorne
Seized & Jammed Lock OpeningThe old mortise lock on the front door of the house turns the key halfway and stops with a dull clunk.
Lock RekeyingThe previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not.
High Security LocksYour shop has had four employees leave in two years and each one had a key.
Commercial RekeyingThe drawer behind the counter holds a tangle of keys with tape labels: front old, side, Dave.
Commercial-Grade Lock ReplacementThe electric strike buzzes the moment the receptionist presses the release button, but the door still needs a shoulder to get…
Car Key ReplacementYou bought the car privately and it came with a single key on a shoelace.
Key Fob ProgrammingThe car changed hands last week, and the paperwork included exactly one fob for a household with two drivers.
Ignition Lock RepairThe key slides in fine and turns without any resistance at all, and the dash lights flicker, but nothing catches.
Vehicle Lock RepairSince the last heavy rain, the front passenger door has needed two or three tries before the key catches, and moisture seems to…Change or rekey
Deadbolts, cylinders, strikes and keys are the four things we look at on every home visit, in that order. A weakness in any one undoes the others.
High security
Anti-snap cylinders, hardened shrouds, sidebar mechanisms and ball-bearing drill protection are the vocabulary of high security hardware. We translate that into what it means for your door and stop at the level that fits the risk.
Silverthorne
Seized & Jammed Lock Opening
The shop's lever handle goes down as usual, but the latch inside the mortise case never pulls back. Staff are waiting on the sidewalk with their coffees, the door is locked, and the handle is simply moving air.
Seized & Jammed Lock Opening
Silverthorne
Our default for doors in Silverthorne is to repair before replacing. A deadbolt that grinds usually needs its strike moved, not a new lock. A cylinder that fights the key often wants fresh pins and a clean. We say so, even when a replacement would be the easier sale, and when replacement really is right we explain why and show you the options in your hand.
— Fairbank Lock Experts
Hours
Open 24/7
Businesses are locked out by people as often as by hardware. A keyholder is away, a former employee still has a key, a master key has gone missing, or the only spare lives in a drawer behind the locked door.
1 of 3
We ask for something that ties you to the premises: a lease, business card, or a call to the owner. Opening a shop for the wrong person is not a risk we take.
2 of 3
Storefront and office locks vary, so we choose the approach that leaves the hardware intact wherever possible. If the lock itself has failed, we tell you before opening it.
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Once inside we check the lock, cut keys if needed and note anything that should be addressed later so your day can carry on.
Use another exit for now and call. From the inside the fault is usually a bolt pinned by the frame or a bent spindle, both of which the locksmith frees without damage. A main exit door should open from inside without a key or special knowledge, so the repair leaves the door doing exactly that, and if the hardware on it was the wrong type for an exit, a thumb-turn deadbolt is suggested.
Rekeying is exactly the right response, because it makes the lost key useless at every door that was pinned. The locksmith will walk the property with you to be sure nothing is missed, including the garage side door, a shed and any padlock the same key opened, and will suggest changing any garage keypad code that was written on the same ring. After that, whoever finds the keys is holding brass that opens nothing on your property.
A restricted keyway is one the manufacturer supplies to a limited set of dealers, so blanks are harder to obtain but not legally protected. A patented key design is protected by a patent for a fixed term, and making or selling the blank without permission is unlawful during that time. Patented systems give the firmer control; restricted ones give a useful step up. The locksmith explains which your chosen line uses and when any patent expires.
Count the people who need each group, add one spare per group for the safe, and stop there. Extra keys cut 'just in case' are the ones that end up unaccounted for. Because the keys are cut to code from the pinning records, more can be produced later to the same standard, so there is no need to stockpile on the day. Restricted keys are ordered by the named signatories when needed.
Yes. An electric strike has to suit the latch or deadlatch type it will receive, the door's handing and swing, and whether the application needs fail-safe or fail-secure operation, meaning whether the door should unlock or stay locked if power is lost. Choosing a strike without checking these against the mechanical lock is a common reason a door releases electronically but still binds mechanically.
On-site assessment preferred
Describe the problem; we'll take it from there. Talk to a locksmith about it.
Open 24/7 · same fees any hour
On-site assessment preferred · (289) 804-2598 · open 24/7
